Without hesitation, Jian Yang replied, "Of course, we should leave the city first."
The truth will eventually come out. The emperor will realize what's happening sooner or later. She must leave the capital before he does, or it will inevitably implicate her father and Xiahou Riyue.
Xiahou Riyue shook his head upon hearing this and said, "Your body is still weak and it is not advisable for you to travel long distances. Why don't you stay at my house for the time being? This place is quiet and secluded, and it is very safe."
Upon hearing this, Prime Minister Jian echoed, "That's right. It's not too late to set off when you're feeling better. Besides, the most dangerous place is often the safest place."
After a moment's thought, Jian Yang agreed to their suggestion.
She really wanted to run away immediately, but her body simply wouldn't allow it.
The sword of the Prince of Dingbian truly pierced her through, and it's already a miracle that she's survived.
Without help from others, she even had difficulty getting out of bed.
“Yang’er,” Prime Minister Jian stood up and said, “I have to go to court tomorrow and it is not appropriate for me to stay here for long. You should rest well and I will come to see you another day.”
Seeing that he was unusually affectionate as a father, Jian Yang blinked and said, "Then I won't see you off."
After Prime Minister Jian left, Xiahou Riyue summoned a nanny who looked to be in her forties or fifties.
“Ayang, this is my wet nurse, Granny Jin. She has been managing this house all these years and is a trustworthy person. You can ask her for anything in your daily life.”
Without realizing it, he had changed his way of addressing Jian Yang to "A Yang".
Jian Yang thanked him, then looked at the old woman and smiled, "Old woman Jin, thank you for your help these past few days."
The old nanny stepped forward to greet her and said, "Madam, you are too kind. You are a distinguished guest of our young master, and this old servant will certainly serve you well."
She looked at Jian Yang with great enthusiasm, as if she were looking at her own daughter-in-law, and she was very satisfied with her.
On the contrary, Jian Yang felt a little embarrassed by her gaze.
Fortunately, her injuries had not yet healed and she was still weak. She soon collapsed from exhaustion and fell into a deep sleep.
Inside the palace, the emperor, who should have been asleep long ago, found it difficult to fall asleep.
He sat listlessly in Weiyang Palace, recalling Jian Yang's voice and smile, feeling as if his heart was being torn apart.
He had never been so deeply in love with a woman in all these years.
Now, he is trapped in regret every single day.
If he had known this would happen, he would never have gone to the Dingbian Prince's Mansion, and he would never have let Jian Yang take the sword for him.
But there's no going back in this world.
Inside the vast palace, only the dripping of water clocks could be heard, making the space seem even more silent and empty.
Eunuch Zhang sighed silently, stepped forward and said softly, "Your Majesty, please rest for a while. You have to attend the morning court session tomorrow."
He was met with silence.
Eunuch Zhang sighed silently again and stepped aside.
From that day on, the emperor devoted all his time to handling state affairs, never allowing himself a moment of leisure.
He was afraid that if he stopped, he would fall into a vortex of memories.
Everyone noticed that the emperor's smile had vanished.
These zombie-like days continued until the stormy night ten days later.
In the pouring rain, a member of the Imperial Guard disregarded the curfew and galloped on his horse along Xuanwu Street.
At the end of Xuanwu Street lies the Imperial Palace.
"Who dares to break into the palace at night?!" The palace guards drew their swords and questioned loudly.
The imperial guards wiped the rain from their faces and shouted, "We are the Imperial Guards of the Imperial Mausoleum. We have important matters to report to the Emperor. Go and report immediately, or you will all lose your heads!"
Upon hearing that it concerned the imperial tombs, the palace guards immediately ran into the palace to report.
A quarter of an hour later, the guard ran out, panting, and said, "You, you can go in now. Take off your swords and don't ride in on horseback!"
Knowing the rules for entering the palace, the imperial guards took off their swords early, threw them to the guards, jumped off their horses, and ran quickly into the palace gates in the pouring rain.
At this time, the emperor was still reviewing memorials in his study.
Eunuch Zhang was already standing at the door waiting. Seeing a soldier running towards them from afar, he asked, "Is that the Imperial Guard of the Imperial Mausoleum?"
The imperial guards hurriedly bowed and saluted.
Eunuch Zhang quickly waved his hand and said, "Hurry up and go in, the Emperor is waiting!"
The imperial guards, without even having time to tidy their appearance, strode into the imperial study.
Upon hearing his story, the emperor put down his brush and asked, "What happened at the imperial mausoleum?"
The imperial guards respectfully reported, "Your Majesty, during our patrol tonight, we discovered a tomb robber's hole in the Empress's mausoleum, which appears to have been recently dug!"
The emperor was greatly alarmed and hurriedly asked, "Are you sure this is the empress's mausoleum?"
"I am absolutely certain!"
The emperor immediately stood up: "Why didn't you report this sooner?"
The imperial guard said nervously, "The tunnel was usually hidden by tree branches, but today's torrential rain washed it open, and that's how I discovered it."
The emperor immediately ordered that the imperial procession be carried to the imperial mausoleum.
Eunuch Zhang was startled, but he could not disobey the emperor's order, so he had no choice but to quickly order Zhao Ziyi to lead the army to protect the emperor.
Escorted by two hundred top imperial guards, the emperor braved the torrential rain and headed straight for the imperial mausoleum.
The luminous pearls and torches illuminated the main tomb chamber as brightly as day.
All the valuable burial objects in the tomb were still there, but the "corpse" inside the coffin was nowhere to be found.
Upon seeing this, the emperor clutched his chest tightly and nearly fainted, but fortunately, the guards beside him caught him quickly.
"Who on earth is so audacious as to steal the Empress's body?!" the Emperor roared, his eyes bloodshot. "Investigate for me! Even if it means searching to the ends of the earth, capture the culprit and bring the Empress back!"
"Yes!" the guards replied in unison.
Once we exited the tomb passage, the torrential rain had stopped.
Looking at the emperor's dragon robe clinging to his body, Eunuch Zhang approached him respectfully and said, "Your Majesty, wearing wet clothes for too long can easily lead to catching a cold. Let's return to the palace as soon as possible."
The emperor shook his head and said, "No rush, let's go to the Prime Minister's residence."
The crowd was puzzled, but they had no choice but to comply.
At this moment, Prime Minister Jian was sleeping soundly with his newly acquired concubine in his arms when he suddenly heard a knocking sound at the door.
Being woken up for no reason, Prime Minister Jian was very annoyed and sternly rebuked, "What are you making such a racket for?!"
The butler called out loudly from outside the door, "Master, the Emperor has arrived!"
"Who's here?" Prime Minister Jian pushed away the concubine in his arms and sat up.
"It's the Emperor! The Emperor has arrived!"
Upon hearing this, Prime Minister Jian was so frightened that he nearly fell off the bed.
He immediately jumped out of bed, hastily put on his official robes, and rushed out.
At this moment, Prime Minister Jian was filled with countless questions, wondering why the emperor was looking for him so late.
Upon entering the main hall, one sees the emperor, soaking wet, standing with his hands behind his back, seemingly lost in thought.
Prime Minister Jian, his heart pounding like a drum, stepped forward to pay his respects: "Your humble servant greets Your Majesty!"
The emperor did not turn around, nor did he respond.
Prime Minister Jian felt his heart leap into his throat.
Something's wrong! The emperor is behaving very strangely this time!
After a long while, the emperor finally spoke in a low voice: "My dear minister, do you know where I just went?"
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